TWI689032B - Dual-blade robot including vertically offset horizontally overlapping frog-leg linkages and systems and methods including same - Google Patents

Abstract

A dual-blade robot having overlapping frog-leg linkages is disclosed. The robot includes first and second arms, coplanar with each other and each rotatably coupled to a first blade, in a frog-leg configuration, and third and fourth arms, coplanar with each other and each rotatably coupled to a second blade, in a frog-leg configuration, where the third and fourth arms are vertically offset from the first and second arms. The third and fourth arms are configured to overlap at least a portion of the first and second arms when the first and second blades are in a retracted position. Methods of operating the robot and electronic device processing systems including the robot are provided, as are numerous other aspects.

Description

Double-blade robot including vertically offset, horizontally overlapping frog foot connecting rod and its system and method

This application claims the priority of U.S. Patent No. 15/708,806 filed on September 19, 2017, and its title is "Dual-blade robot including vertically offset, horizontally overlapping frog foot links and its system and method" (Agent People's Docket No. 25481/USA), which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the manufacture of electronic devices, and more specifically to robots adapted to transfer substrates between chambers.

The electronic device manufacturing system may include a processing tool having multiple chambers, such as a processing chamber and one or more loading gate chambers. Such a processing chamber and one or more load gate chambers may be included in the cluster tool, for example, where substrates may be transferred between the corresponding processing chamber and one or more load gate chambers. These systems may employ one or more robots to move the substrate between the various chambers, and in some embodiments, one or more robots may reside in the transfer chamber. During such movements, the substrate may be supported on one or more robot end effectors (sometimes referred to as "blades").

Processing chambers (such as cluster tools) of electronic device manufacturing systems can be used on substrates (eg, silicon-containing wafers, patterned and unpatterned mask wafers, glass plates, products containing silicon dioxide, or the like) Any number of processes, such as deposition, oxidation, nitridation, etching, polishing, cleaning, lithography, metrology, or the like, are performed.

Within such processing and/or clustering tools, for example, multiple chambers may be distributed around the transfer chamber. The robot can be accommodated in the transfer chamber, and can be configured and adapted to transfer the substrate between the various chambers. For example, the transfer chamber may be between the processing chambers, or between the processing chamber and one or more load lock chambers. A slit valve may be located at the entrance of each corresponding chamber to allow each chamber to be isolated from the environment.

It is beneficial to design robotic devices, systems and methods that improve the operation and/or efficiency of processing and/or cluster tool operations.

In the first exemplary embodiment, a dual-blade robot includes: a first frog foot link coupled to the first blade and configured to extend the first blade in a first direction; a second frog foot link, coupled to The second blade is configured to extend the second blade in the second direction, wherein the second frog foot link is vertically offset from the first frog foot link, such that when the first blade and the second blade are each in the retracted position, the second blade The frog foot link overlaps the first frog foot link.

In a second example embodiment, a cluster tool includes: a transfer chamber; a loading gate, coupled to the transfer chamber; a processing chamber, coupled to the transfer chamber; and a two-blade robot, disposed in the transfer chamber, The two-blade robot has a first frog foot link and a second frog foot link, wherein the second frog foot link is vertically offset from the first frog foot link, and when the first frog foot link and the second frog foot link are respectively When in the retracted position, the second frog foot link overlaps the first frog foot link.

In a third example embodiment, a method of transferring a substrate between a first chamber and a second chamber includes the steps of: extending a first frog foot link so that a double blade coupled to the first frog foot link The first blade of the robot is positioned in the first chamber; the substrate is retrieved from the first chamber; and the first frog foot link is retracted so that the first blade leaves the first chamber, where the substrate is on the first blade, After retracting the first frog foot link from the first chamber, the first frog foot link overlaps with the second frog foot link of the double-blade robot.

In an alternative example embodiment, the robot includes: a hub having a first axis; a first member and a second member, each rotatably coupled to the hub and rotatable about the first axis; a first arm having a first End and second end, the first end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first member and can rotate about the second axis, and the second end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first blade and can be rotated around the first Three-axis rotation; second arm, having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second arm is rotatably coupled to the second member and can rotate about the fourth axis, the second end of the second arm is rotatable Coupled to the first blade and rotatable about the fifth axis; the third arm has a first end and a second end, the first end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to the second member and can be around the sixth axis Rotating, the second end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to the second blade and can rotate about the third axis; and the fourth arm has a first end and a second end, the first end of the fourth arm is rotatably Coupling to the first member and rotatable about the seventh axis, the second end of the fourth arm is rotatably coupled to the second blade and rotatable about the fifth axis, wherein the first arm is nominally co-located with the second arm The third arm is nominally coplanar with the fourth arm, and the third and fourth arms are vertically offset from the first and second arms, respectively.

In another alternative example embodiment, a system includes: a first chamber that defines a volume; a two-blade robot disposed within the volume defined by the first chamber, the two-blade robot includes: a hub having a first axis; A first member and a second member, each rotatably coupled to the central hub and rotatable about the first axis; the first arm has a first end and a second end, the first end of the first arm is at the second axis Is rotatably coupled to the first member, the second end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first blade at the third axis; the second arm has a first end and a second end, the second arm The first end is rotatably coupled to the second member at the fourth axis, and the second end of the second arm is rotatably coupled to the first blade at the fifth axis; the third arm has a first end and a first At both ends, the first end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to the second member at the sixth axis, and the second end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to the second blade at the third axis; the fourth arm , Having a first end and a second end, the first end of the fourth arm is rotatably coupled to the first member at the seventh axis, and the second end of the fourth arm is rotatably coupled to the fifth axis The second blade, wherein the first arm is nominally coplanar with the second arm, the third arm is nominally coplanar with the fourth arm, and the third arm and the fourth arm are vertically offset from the first arm and the second arm, respectively.

In yet another alternative example embodiment, a cluster tool includes: a transfer chamber; a loading gate, coupled to the transfer chamber; a processing chamber, coupled to the transfer chamber; and a dual-blade wafer processing robot, provided at In the transfer chamber, the dual-blade wafer processing robot has a frog foot cross link, wherein the frog foot cross link includes: a first arm having a first end and a second end, and the first end of the first arm is rotatably coupled To the first member and rotatable about the first axis, the second end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first blade and rotatable about the second axis; the second arm has a first end and a second end, the first The first end of the two arms is rotatably coupled to the second member and can rotate about the third axis, and the second end of the second arm is rotatably coupled to the first blade and can rotate about the fourth axis; , Having a first end and a second end, the first end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to the second member and is rotatable about a fifth axis, and the second end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to the second blade And can rotate about the second axis; the fourth arm has a first end and a second end, the first end of the fourth arm is rotatably coupled to the first member and can rotate about the sixth axis, the fourth arm The two ends are rotatably coupled to the second blade and can rotate about the fourth axis, wherein the first arm is nominally coplanar with the second arm, the third arm is nominally coplanar with the fourth arm, and the third arm and the second arm The four arms are vertically offset from the first arm and the second arm, respectively.

These and other embodiments according to this disclosure provide many other features. Other features and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following embodiments, accompanying drawings, and attached patent application scope.

Various embodiments according to the present disclosure provide a dual-blade robot including a first frog foot link and a second frog foot link, configured such that the second frog foot link vertically deviates from the first frog foot link And further configured such that when the blade of the double-blade robot retracts, the second frog foot link horizontally overlaps the first frog foot link. This configuration reduces the overall footprint of the dual-blade robot when the blade is retracted, and allows the use of longer blades than are available in the transfer chamber that houses the dual-blade robot. For example, in some embodiments, relatively long and/or high temperature blades (such as quartz blades) may be used to place the substrate in a processing chamber (eg, epitaxial growth and/or deposition chamber) that performs high temperature processing Or remove the substrate from the processing chamber. In order to avoid exposing a part of the dual-blade robot, such as the wrist part, to the high temperature environment of the processing chamber, long blades may be employed so that only the blades extend into the processing chamber during substrate placement or removal. In a two-blade robot configuration where the blades extend in opposite directions, the use of long blades may increase the overall footprint of the two-blade robot, so that the robot no longer fits inside the transfer chamber. The embodiments described herein provide a dual-blade robot, system, and method that allows the use of longer blades while maintaining an overall (retracted) footprint suitable for use within the transfer chamber.

Further details of various aspects of the robot, the electronic device processing system including the robot, and the method of operating the robot according to example embodiments are described with reference to FIGS. 1A-4.

With reference to FIG. 1A, a first illustrative example embodiment of the two-blade robot 100 is disclosed. For example, the robot 100 may be used and may be configured to transfer substrates to and from various chambers, such as into and out of processing chambers, and/or into and out of loading gate chambers. However, the two-blade robot 100 may be used in other environments where the compact size of the two-blade robot is suitable. FIG. 1A shows an example two-blade robot 100 having a first frog foot link 102a and a second frog foot link 102b . The first frog foot link 102a is coupled to the first blade 104a and configured to be in the first direction The first blade 104a extends on D1, and the second frog foot link 102b is coupled to the second blade and is configured to extend the second blade 104b in the second direction D2, wherein the second frog foot link 102b is vertically offset from the first frog foot The link 102a is such that when both the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b are in the retracted position (as shown in FIG. 1A), the second frog foot link 102b overlaps the first frog foot link 102a .

In some embodiments, the two-blade robot 100 is configured such that the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b are nominally coplanar (e.g., in some embodiments, inclined relative to each other by less than +/- 1 degree and/or relative Less than +/-1 mm from the plane perpendicular to each other) For example, the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b may be positioned to extend and retract substantially in the same plane P1. In some embodiments, the second blade 104b may be shaped such that the support surface of the second blade 104b is substantially in the same plane as the support surface of the first blade 104a (as shown in FIG. 1A). Generally, the first blade 104a , the second blade 104b, or both the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b may be shaped such that the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b are nominally coplanar. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b may be positioned to be nominally coplanar by using one or more adapters, brackets, or the like.

More specifically, the illustrative example embodiment of the two-blade robot 100 is shown in FIG. 1B. Referring to FIG. 1B, the two-blade robot 100 includes a hub 106 having a first axis A1 . The first member 108a and the second member 108b are rotatably coupled to the hub 106 at the first axis A1 . The first arm 110 has a first end 111a and a second end 111b , and the first end 111a thereof is rotatably coupled to the second member 108b at the second axis A2 . The second end 111b of the first arm 110 is rotatably coupled at the third axis A3 (of the bottom wrist connector 112a ). A second arm 114 nominally coplanar with the first arm 110 has a first end 115a and a second end 115b , and its first end 115a is rotatably coupled to the first member 108a at a fourth axis A4 . The second end 115b of the second arm 114 is rotatably coupled at the fifth axis A5 (of the bottom wrist connector 112a ). The third arm 116 has a first end 117a and a second end 117b , and its first end 117a is rotatably coupled to the second member 108b at the sixth axis A6 . The second end 117b of the third arm 116 is rotatably coupled at the third axis A3 (of the top wrist connector 112b ). A fourth arm 118 nominally coplanar with the third arm 116 has a first end 119a and a second end 119b , and its first end 119a is rotatably coupled to the first member 108a at a seventh axis A7 . The second end 119b of the fourth arm 118 is rotatably coupled at the fifth axis A5 (of the top wrist connector 112b ).

As shown in FIG. 1B, the third arm 116 is vertically offset from the first arm 110 , and the fourth arm 118 is vertically offset from the second arm 114 . In some embodiments, this offset may range from about 1 to about 8 mm, although larger or smaller vertical deviations may be used. For example, the vertical offset may be provided by spacers 120a , 120b located below the third arm 116 and/or the fourth arm 118 , respectively. Any other method for deviating from the third arm 116 and/or the fourth arm 118 may be employed. The spacers 120a , 120b may be formed of aluminum or other suitable materials. As will be described further below, providing a vertical offset between the first arm 110 and the third arm 116 and the second arm 114 and the fourth arm 118 allows the top wrist connector 112b to overlap the bottom wrist connector 112a (see 1A and 1B), so that the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b can be retracted more completely. This allows the two-blade robot 100 to occupy a smaller footprint when fully retracted, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

Figure 1C shows a side view of the dual-blade robot 100 in a retracted position according to some embodiments provided herein. Referring to FIG. 1C, the top wrist connector 112a and the bottom wrist connector 112b are shown to overlap and are configured such that the blades 104a , 104b are nominally coplanar (eg, extend and retract substantially in the same plane P1). In some embodiments, the first blade 104a configured to extend outwardly from the hub 106 in the first direction D1, the second blade 104b configured to extend outwardly from the hub 106 in a second direction different from the first direction D1 D2 (Eg, in the opposite direction, although other directions may be used), and the first and second blades may be nominally coplanar. In addition, the first blade 104a is configured to retract inward toward the hub 106 , and the second blade 104b is configured to retract inward toward the hub 106 .

FIG. 1D shows an exploded view of the two-blade robot 100 according to some embodiments provided herein. Referring to FIG. 1D, in some embodiments, the first arm 110 has an arc portion adjacent to its first end 111a and a linear portion adjacent to its second end 111b . The second arm 114 has an arc portion adjacent to its first end 115a and a linear portion adjacent to its second end 115b . The third arm 116 has an arc portion adjacent to its first end 117a and a linear portion adjacent to its second end 117b . The fourth arm 118 has an arc portion adjacent to its first end 119a and a linear portion adjacent to its second end 119b . Other arm shapes can be used. As shown in FIG. 1D, the wrist connectors 112a and 112b may be processed so that the blades 104a , 104b are nominally coplanar when mounted on the dual-blade robot 100 . For example, the connector 112a is provided with a wrist bag 122, the blades 104a attached to the bag 122. The wrist connector 112b may be similarly configured, and each pocket may have a depth to locate the blades 104a and 104b so that they are nominally coplanar. The pocket depth may depend on factors such as the height of the wrist connectors 112a , 112b , the vertical deviation of the third arm 116 and the fourth arm 118 .

The first blade 104a and the second blade 104b may be formed of any suitable material suitable for the intended use of the blade. In the illustrative examples of FIGS. 1A and 1B, each of the first blade 104a and the second blade 104b is at least partially composed of quartz. It should be noted that sometimes another term used to describe the blade is an end effector.

FIG. 2A shows a top plan view of the two-blade robot 100 shown in the isometric view in FIG. 1B according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2B shows a side view of the two-blade robot 100 shown in the isometric view in FIG. 1B according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

An example embodiment of an electronic device processing tool 300 suitable for use with the two-blade robot 100 of FIGS. 1A-2B is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an electronic device processing tool 300 (such as a cluster tool). The electronic device processing tool 300 includes a transfer chamber 302 , a loading gate chamber 304 coupled to the transfer chamber 302 , and a coupling two-blade robot to transfer chamber 306 of the processing chamber 302, disposed in a transfer chamber 302 coupled to a dual-blade 100 and the robot 100 (and / or the transfer chamber 302, load lock chamber 304 and / or the process chamber Room 306 ) Robot controller 308 .

The transfer chamber 302 may be configured to interface with at least one loading gate chamber 304, interface with at least one processing chamber 306, and accommodate the two-blade robot 100 . The transfer chamber 302 may be configured to be evacuated to, for example, a pressure below standard atmospheric pressure.

The loading gate chamber 304 can be configured to interface with a factory interface (not shown) or other system components that can receive substrates from one or more substrate carriers (eg, front opening wafer transfer box (FOUP)), where the substrate carriers are docked At one or more loading ports on the factory interface. The loading gate chamber 304 may be configured to allow the blades of the dual-blade robot 100 to enter and exit for supplying substrates to the processing chamber 306 or receiving substrates from the processing chamber 306 .

The processing chamber 306 may be configured for any suitable processing operation, including but not limited to etching, deposition, oxidation, nitridation, silicidation, epitaxial growth, selective epitaxial growth, resist stripping, cleaning, lithography, and the like. The processing chamber 306 may be configured to allow the blades of the dual-blade robot 100 to enter and leave.

As described above, the dual-blade robot 100 may include a first frog foot link and a second frog foot link. The first frog foot link is coupled to the first blade and configured to extend the first blade in the first direction. The two frog foot links are coupled to the second blade and are configured to extend the second blade in the second direction, wherein the second frog foot links are vertically offset from the first frog foot links so that both the first blade and the second blade When retracted, the second frog foot link overlaps the first frog foot link (for example, see Figures 1A-2B).

The robot controller 308 is coupled to the dual-blade robot 100 and may be configured to provide the dual-blade robot 100 with control signals to guide its operation. The control signals generated by the robot controller 308 may be, but not limited to, electrical, optical, magnetic, and/or electromagnetic signals. In some example embodiments, the robot controller 308 includes digital circuits in the process of generating control signals. Such digital circuits may include (but are not limited to) one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), including one or more embedded processors One or more system-on-chip (SoC) integrated circuits, or separate digital components. The robot controller 308 may further include stored data and stored instructions for use by computing resources such as (but not limited to) microprocessors, microcontrollers, and embedded processors. The robot controller 308 may further include FPGA configuration data for dynamically modifying FPGA functions.

In some embodiments, the robot controller 308 comprises a network communication interface, to facilitate repair and maintenance of a two-bladed robot 100, and provides information regarding the operation and operating states of the dual-blade robot 100.

In some embodiments, the robot controller 308 is further configured to receive signals from the two-blade robot 100 . The signal received by the robot controller 308 from the dual-blade robot 100 may be used by the robot controller 308 to decide whether the dual-blade robot 100 operates according to predetermined operating parameters. The robot controller 308 may be a controller dedicated to controlling the robot 100 , or may be a part of a controller and/or control system that controls the cluster tool 300 , the transfer chamber 302 , the loading gate chamber 304, and/or the processing chamber 306 .

An example method 400 of transferring substrates within an electronic device processing system (eg, cluster tool) according to an embodiment of this disclosure is provided and described with reference to FIG. 4 . Method 400 includes providing a processing tool at block 402 , the processing tool having a transfer chamber, a first chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, a second chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, and having a first frog foot link and A two-leaf robot with a second frog foot link (see (for example) the processing tool 300 in Figure 3 ).

Method 400 at block 404 by extending the first frog foot link disposed in the transfer chamber such that at least a portion of the first blade coupled to the first frog foot link of the dual-blade robot is positioned to be coupled to the transfer cavity Continue in the first chamber of the chamber. In some example embodiments, the first chamber may be a loading gate chamber or a processing chamber. For example, referring to FIG. 3, in order to extend the second blade 104b into the loading gate chamber 304 , the first member 108a rotates counterclockwise and the second member 108b rotates clockwise. This causes the first arm 110 , the second arm 114 , the third arm 116, and the fourth arm 118 to extend toward the loading gate chamber 304 . As shown in FIG. 3, the third arm 116 overlaps the first arm 110 and the fourth arm 118 overlaps the second arm 114 .

In the extended position of FIG. 3, the wrist connector 112b is positioned near the loading gate chamber 304 so that the second blade 104b extends into the loading gate chamber 304 (to place the substrate in the loading gate chamber 304 or from the loading The gate chamber 304 takes out the substrate).

The method 400 continues at block 406 by retrieving the substrate from the first chamber with the first blade. In some example embodiments, the substrate may be a wafer or a glass plate. The wafer may be of the type used in semiconductor manufacturing. The glass plate may be of the type used in display manufacturing or the like. In the example of FIG. 3, the second blade 104 b retrieves the substrate 310 from the loading gate chamber 304 . In one or more embodiments, the robot 100 may retrieve the substrate 310 without vertical movement (eg, the loading gate chamber 304 may point the substrate 310 vertically to place the substrate 310 on the second blade 104b ).

Method 400 at block 408 by retracting the first frog foot link, so that the first blade leaves the first chamber while supporting the substrate, and the first frog foot link of the two-blade robot overlaps the second frog foot link And continue, where the second frog foot link vertically deviates from the first frog foot link. For example, referring to FIG. 3, after the substrate 310 is retrieved from the loading gate chamber 304 , the first member 108a may rotate clockwise and the second member 108b may rotate counterclockwise. This causes the first arm 110 , the second arm 114 , the third arm 116, and the fourth arm 118 to retract toward the hub 106 (as shown in FIG. 1B). As shown in FIG. 1B, the third arm 116 overlaps the first arm 110 and the fourth arm 118 overlaps the second arm 114 . In the retracted position of FIG. 1B, the wrist connector 112b is located above the wrist connector 112a (see also FIG. 2B).

Similarly, the first blade 104a can be extended into the loading gate chamber or the processing chamber by rotating the first member 108a clockwise and the second member 108b counterclockwise. This causes the first arm 110 , the second arm 114 , the third arm 116 and the fourth arm 118 to extend outward away from the hub 106 .

A further embodiment of this disclosure includes operating the second blade to retrieve the substrate. For example, extending the second frog foot link so that the second blade of the two-blade robot coupled to the second frog foot link is positioned in the first chamber; using the second blade to retrieve additional substrate from the first chamber ; And retracting the second frog foot link so that the second blade and the additional substrate on the second blade leave the first chamber. In the retracted position, the second frog foot link overlaps the first frog foot link, and the second frog foot link vertically deviates from the first frog foot link.

The following example of the configuration may be utilized to implement the exemplary cluster tool method 400, it will be understood that the method 400 may be implemented together with the other electronic device processing system. An exemplary cluster tool configuration may include a transfer chamber in which the two-blade robot is arranged. One or more loading gate chambers may be coupled to the transfer chamber, and one or more processing chambers may be coupled to the transfer chamber. One or more load lock chambers, one or more processing chambers and transfer chambers may be configured to be evacuated. This evacuation can facilitate low pressure processing operations. In various example embodiments, the first blade may be at least partially formed of quartz.

The exemplary method according to the present disclosure may further include, after retrieving the substrate, rotating the first blade in a horizontal plane within the transfer chamber so that the first blade and the substrate will be transferred to the loading gate chamber or the processing chamber alignment. In a manner similar to the method of retrieving the substrate, the substrate transport may include extending the first frog foot link so that the first blade is positioned in the chamber into which the substrate is to be transported. After the substrate is transported and removed from the first blade, the first blade is retracted by retraction of the first frog foot link.

In the above-described exemplary method, the second frog foot link operates in the same manner as the first frog foot link and the first blade to extend and retract the second blade of the two-blade robot. In an exemplary embodiment, the first blade and the second blade are nominally coplanar, and the second frog foot link is vertically offset from the first frog foot link.

Therefore, a two-blade robot with overlapping frog foot links has been disclosed. The two-blade robot includes a first arm and a second arm that are coplanar with each other and each is rotatably coupled to the first blade in a frog-leg configuration; and a third arm and a fourth arm are coplanar with each other and each is rotatable Is connected to the second blade in a frog-leg configuration, where the third and fourth arms are vertically offset from the first and second arms. The third arm and the fourth arm are configured to overlap at least a portion of the first arm and the second arm when the first blade and the second blade are in the retracted position. A method of operating a robot, an electronic device processing system including the robot, and many other aspects are provided.

It should be apparent that the two-blade robot 100 as described herein provides a compact arrangement, thus advantageously allowing each of the two blades to be long and still fit within the transfer chamber (eg, and allowing the robot and/or Or the rotation of the blade).

The above embodiments only disclose example embodiments. For those skilled in the art, modifications to the above-described devices, systems, and methods that fall within the scope of this disclosure are obvious. Therefore, although the disclosure has been provided in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, it should be understood that other embodiments may fall within the scope defined by the scope of the attached patent application.

100‧‧‧Robot 102a‧‧‧First Frog Foot Link 102b‧‧‧Second Frog Foot Link 104a‧‧‧First Blade 104b‧‧‧Second Blade 106‧‧‧ Hub 108a‧‧‧First Member 108b‧Second member 110‧‧‧First arm 111a‧‧‧First end 111b‧‧‧Second end 112a‧‧‧Bottom wrist connector 112b‧‧‧Top wrist connector 114‧‧‧ Two arms 115a‧‧‧First end 115b‧‧‧Second end 116‧‧‧ Third arm 117a‧‧‧First end 117b‧‧‧Second end 118‧‧‧Fourth arm 119a‧‧‧First End 119b‧‧‧Second end 120a‧‧‧Spacer 120b‧‧‧Spacer 122‧‧‧‧Bag 300‧‧‧‧Tool 302‧‧‧Transport chamber 304‧‧‧Load gate chamber 306‧‧‧ Handling Chamber 308‧‧‧Robot controller 310‧‧‧Basic 400‧‧‧Method 402‧‧‧Block 404‧‧‧Block 406‧‧‧Block 408‧‧‧Block

Figure 1A shows a side view of a two-blade robot according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 1B shows an isometric view of a two-blade robot according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 1C shows a side view of a two-blade robot in a retracted position according to some embodiments.

Figure 1D shows an exploded view of a two-blade robot according to some embodiments.

Figure 2A shows a top plan view of a two-blade robot according to one or more embodiments.

Figure 2B shows a top plan view of a two-blade robot according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows an electronic device processing system including a two-blade robot according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart depicting a method of transferring a substrate between a first chamber and a second chamber according to one or more embodiments.

Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, number) No

Overseas hosting information (please note in order of hosting country, institution, date, number) No

100‧‧‧Robot

104a‧‧‧The first blade

104b‧‧‧second blade

106‧‧‧hub

108a‧‧‧First component

108b‧‧‧Second component

110‧‧‧ First arm

111a‧‧‧The first end

111b‧‧‧second end

112a‧‧‧Bottom wrist connector

112b‧‧‧Top wrist connector

114‧‧‧ Second Arm

115a‧‧‧The first end

115b‧‧‧Second end

116‧‧‧ Third Arm

117a‧‧‧The first end

117b‧‧‧second end

118‧‧‧ Fourth Arm

119a‧‧‧The first end

119b‧‧‧second end

120a‧‧‧ spacer

120b‧‧‧ spacer

Claims (19)

A dual-blade robot includes: a first frog foot link, coupled to a first wrist connector and a first blade and configured to extend the first blade in a first direction; a second frog foot link A lever coupled to a second wrist connector and a second blade and configured to extend in a second direction opposite to the first direction while the first blade is aligned in the first direction The second blade; wherein the second frog foot link is vertically offset from the first frog foot link, so that when the first blade and the second blade are each in a retracted position, the second wrist connector and the second The first wrist connector overlaps; and wherein while the first blade and the second blade are each in the retracted position, the first blade is oriented toward the first direction, and the second blade is oriented toward the second direction . The dual-blade robot according to claim 1, further comprising: a hub; and a first member rotatably coupled to the hub; wherein the first frog foot link is rotatably coupled at a first position Connected to the first member, and the second frog foot link is rotatably coupled to the first member at a second position. The double-blade robot according to claim 1, wherein the first A frog foot link and the second frog foot link are arranged in a first chamber. A dual-blade robot includes: a first frog foot link, coupled to a first blade and configured to extend the first blade in a first direction; a second frog foot link, coupled to a first Two blades are arranged to extend the second blade in a second direction; wherein the second frog foot link is vertically offset from the first frog foot link, so that when the first blade and the second blade are in a contraction When returning to position, the second frog foot link overlaps with the first frog foot link; a hub with a first axis; a first member rotatably coupled to the hub and around the first axis Rotation; and a second member rotatably coupled to the hub and rotatable about the first axis; wherein the first frog foot link includes: a first arm having a first end and a second end , The first end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first member and can rotate about a second axis, and the second end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first blade and can Rotating about a third axis; and a second arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second arm is rotatably coupled to the second member and can be about a fourth axis Rotating, the second end of the second arm is rotatably coupled to The first blade can rotate around a fifth axis; wherein the second frog foot link includes: a third arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the third arm can rotate Coupled to the second member and rotatable about a sixth axis, the second end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to the second blade and rotatable about the third axis; and a fourth arm , Having a first end and a second end, the first end of the fourth arm is rotatably coupled to the first member and can rotate about a seventh axis, the second end of the fourth arm can be Rotatably coupled to the second blade and rotatable about the fifth axis; wherein the first arm and the second arm are nominally coplanar, the third arm and the fourth arm are nominally coplanar, and the first The three arms and the fourth arm are vertically offset from the first arm and the second arm, respectively. The dual-blade robot according to claim 4, wherein the first blade is configured to extend outward from the hub in the first direction, and the second blade is configured to be in the second direction different from the first direction Extending outward from the hub, and the first blade and the second blade are nominally coplanar. The dual-blade robot of claim 4, wherein the first blade is configured to retract inward toward the hub, and the second blade is configured to retract inward toward the hub. The double-blade robot according to claim 6, wherein the first The three arms are configured to overlap the first arm when the first blade and the second blade are in a retracted position, and the fourth arm is configured to be retracted when the first blade and the second blade are both The position overlaps with the second arm. The dual-blade robot according to claim 4, wherein the first arm has an arc-shaped portion adjacent to the second axis and a straight portion adjacent to the third axis, and the second arm has the fourth arm An arc portion adjacent to the axis and a straight portion adjacent to the fifth axis, the third arm has an arc portion adjacent to the sixth axis and a straight portion adjacent to the third axis, the first The four arms have an arc portion adjacent to the seventh axis and a straight portion adjacent to the fifth axis. A cluster tool includes: a transfer chamber; a loading gate, coupled to the transfer chamber; a processing chamber, coupled to the transfer chamber; and a dual-blade robot, having a coupling to a first A first blade of the wrist connector and a second blade coupled to a second wrist connector, the dual-blade robot is disposed in the transfer chamber, the dual-blade robot has a first frog foot link and a first Two frog foot links, the first frog foot link and the second frog foot link are configured to extend the first blade in a first direction and align when the first blade is in the first direction of At the same time, the second blade extends in a second direction opposite to the first direction; wherein the second frog foot link vertically deviates from the first frog foot link, and when the first frog foot link and the When the second frog foot links are each in a retracted position, the second wrist connector overlaps the first wrist connector; and while the first blade and the second blade are each in the retracted position, The first blade is oriented toward the first direction, and the second blade is oriented toward the second direction. The cluster tool according to claim 9, wherein the first frog foot link comprises: a first arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first arm being rotatably coupled To a first member and rotatable about a first axis, the second end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to the first blade and can rotate about a second axis; and a second arm has a first One end and a second end, the first end of the second arm is rotatably coupled to a second member and is rotatable about a third axis, and the second end of the second arm is rotatably coupled To the first blade and can rotate about a fourth axis. The cluster tool according to claim 9, wherein each of the loading gate device, the processing chamber, and the transfer chamber is configured to be evacuated. The cluster tool according to claim 9, wherein the processing The chamber is configured for a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition operation. The cluster tool of claim 10, wherein the processing chamber is configured for an epitaxial growth operation, and each of the first blade and the second blade includes quartz. A cluster tool includes: a transfer chamber; a loading gate coupled to the transfer chamber; a processing chamber coupled to the transfer chamber; and a dual-blade robot having a first blade and a A second blade, the dual-blade robot is disposed in the transfer chamber, the dual-blade robot has a first frog foot link and a second frog foot link; wherein the second frog foot link vertically deviates from the first frog Foot link, and when the first frog foot link and the second frog foot link are each in a retracted position, the second frog foot link overlaps the first frog foot link; wherein the first The frog foot link includes: a first arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to a first member and can rotate about a first axis, The second end of the first arm is rotatably coupled to a first blade and is rotatable about a second axis; and a second arm has a first end and a second end The first end is rotatably coupled to a second member and is rotatable about a third axis, and the second end of the second arm is rotatably coupled to The first blade can rotate around a fourth axis; wherein the second frog foot link includes: a third arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the third arm can rotate Coupled to the second member and rotatable about a fifth axis, the second end of the third arm is rotatably coupled to a second blade and rotatable about the second axis; and a fourth arm , Having a first end and a second end, the first end of the fourth arm is rotatably coupled to the first member and can rotate about a sixth axis, the second end of the fourth arm can be Rotatably coupled to the second blade and rotatable about the fourth axis; wherein the first arm and the second arm are nominally coplanar, the third arm and the fourth arm are nominally coplanar, and the first The three arms and the fourth arm are vertically offset from the first arm and the second arm, respectively, and the two-blade robot is resized so as to allow the first blade and the second blade to be in a retracted position The blade and the second blade rotate around the first axis within the transfer chamber. A method for transferring a substrate between a first chamber and a second chamber includes the following steps: providing a processing tool having: a transfer chamber; a first chamber coupled to the transfer chamber A second chamber, coupled to the transfer chamber; and A dual-blade robot is provided in the transfer chamber. The dual-blade robot has a first frog foot link coupled to a first wrist connector and a first blade and a second wrist connector and A second frog foot link of a second blade, the first frog foot link is configured to extend the first blade in a first direction, and the second frog foot link is configured to act as the first blade While aligning in the first direction, extend the second blade in a second direction opposite to the first direction; extend the first frog foot link so that it is coupled to the first frog foot link A first blade of the dual-blade robot is positioned in the first chamber; using the first blade to retrieve a substrate from the first chamber; and retracting the first frog foot link, so that the first The blade leaves the first chamber, wherein the substrate is on the first blade; wherein after retracting the first frog foot link from the first chamber, the first wrist connector and the dual-blade robot The second wrist connector overlaps; and wherein after retracting the first frog foot link from the first chamber, the first blade is oriented toward the first direction, and the second blade is oriented toward the second direction. The method of claim 15, wherein the substrate is a wafer. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: moving the first blade together with the substrate on the first blade so that the first blade is aligned with the second chamber; extending the first frog foot A connecting rod, so that the first blade and the substrate on the first blade are positioned in the second chamber; retract the first frog foot connecting rod, so that the first blade leaves the second chamber; wherein After the first frog foot link is retracted from the second chamber, the first frog foot link overlaps with the second frog foot link of the two-blade robot, and when the first blade leaves the second cavity When in the chamber, the substrate is held in the second chamber. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of extending the second frog foot link so that the second blade of the two-blade robot coupled to the second frog foot link is positioned in the first cavity Using the second blade to retrieve an additional substrate from the first chamber; and retracting the second frog foot link so that the second blade leaves the first chamber, wherein the additional substrate is at On the second blade. The method of claim 15, wherein the first chamber It is a loading gate chamber, and the second chamber is a processing chamber.

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